Henry Cejudo doubles down on his plans to retire if he loses to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298

Henry Cejudo is doubling down on his comments that he will retire from MMA again if he loses to Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298.

Cejudo ended his retirement last May when he took on Aljamain Sterling for the bantamweight title. It was his first fight in three years, and ‘Triple C’ ended up losing by split decision. After the loss, he called out Dvalishvili who he will fight on the main card of UFC 298 on Saturday.

In the lead-up to the fight, Cejudo has said he will retire from MMA if he loses to Dvalishvili. Now, just days away from the fight in Anaheim, Cejudo confirmed he will retire from the sport for good if he loses.

“That’s the plan, my goal and I’m probably going to get a lot of shit for this, the goal is still 145 pounds. I’ve already conquered and I’ve already defended my 135-pound weight,” Henry Cejudo said at UFC 298 media day. “Yeah, I lost my last fight through split decision, but the goal, I’m not wavering from the goal of going up. I feel like a win over Merab and then get the winner out of ‘Chito’ and Sean, and then I want Volk or whoever has that belt at 145 pounds. I feel like I’ve earned it. I feel like with my accolades and the merit that I’ve been able to do in combat sports, I don’t think you could deny me.

“To top it off, this is all or nothing,” Cejudo added. “I told the team, I sat with the team, I was like, ‘Hey guys, it’s either gold or bust. I either win it all or I’m not gonna have it at all, and I’m out, I’m done.’ So I am putting that timeline, that pressure on me because I do take this sport seriously. I’ve done everything there is to do, what do I have to prove?”

Henry Cejudo is currently the betting underdog heading into his matchup against Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 298, so the oddsmakers are expecting this to be his final MMA fight. But, as ‘Triple C’ says, should he get his hand raised he wants another crack at the bantamweight title before moving up to 145lbs.